36" bluestar or wolf?

endivesJanuary 23, 2013

We just bought a house. The flipper did such a LOUSY job, we are forced to redo the kitchen. Glad we did since we found more hidden problems that would have caused water and electrical damage. Anyhow... Since we have to redo everything, down to the floor, we decided to sell the 30" for a 36" range since I love to cook and can.

We are down to Bluestar or the last of the unsealed burner wolf stove but must decide soon since the wolfs are down to the dregs.

Since you love to cook and can, I'd think you should choose the BS over the Wolf. I would. I have cooked on the Wolf and while it is the best adaptation of a sealed burner and a fine range, I like the true, commercial-like open burners better. I have cooked on a commercial range, and prefer that type of burner. I chose another open burner range, but since you're only asking for opinions between the BS and Wolf, that's what I'd recommend.

I'm the one who has the current posting about whether to spend $1,200 more for a BS than a discounted, floor model Wolf R304. So, essentially exact same dilemma you are having--grab the last one of the last available Wolfs at a closeout price or opt for a BS. There is one more choice you should add to the mix--American Range Performer. We had decided that this was the overall best combination of quality, price and performance. Then, we found out it wouldn't fit our space.

I think we are leaning Wolf partially due to an bit of unease on my part after having extensively researched for months. I have heard about a lot more (current, not just in the past before the V1 model) issues with the BS. Then, I read and compared the warranties. Take a minute to do this.

Needinfo, in San Francisco, they are not giving a price break on the wolf r366 which is the unsealed 36". One of the dealers said Wolf will not allow them to discount them though they are now discontinued.

The wolf is more expensive than the Bluestar 36 by about 400 not including the city required 6" riser/ We saw the Blue star at a demonstration and she cooks well from what we could tell.

I am trying to hunt down a wolf unsealed so I can investigate/compare but in the interim, I thought it would help to see how folks are cooking with them.

The unsealed Wolf is more like a sealed burner. True it has removable drip pans below the burner, so it's not completely sealed, but it's not an open burner in the same manner as Bluestar, with the flames going directly up.

endives, I don't consider Wolf's "open" burner a true open burner. That's why I described it as an "adaptation of a sealed burner." There are some who refer to it as a semi-sealed burner. Assuming you can't get a great deal on the Wolf, like needinfo1 did, I'd pick the BS, hands down. If I had come across a Wolf at $1000+ less than either a CC or BS, I would have bought the Wolf.

Interesting what you heard about the manufacturer controlling pricing. Last week we were quoted full price for the Wolf even though it is being discontinued. Then, this week I found two 30" that were being sold as floor display models and three 36" that were being sold as floor models. For the 30" one dealer gave a 20% discount as a floor model and one gave a 15% discount. This is with the full two year warranty that a brand new range gets. Last week when I was in one of the dealers, the Wolf rep came in, so I spoke with him. He told me that Wolf is moving to the all sealed burners on all of its products to simplfy production in the factory. I can understand how this would cut costs for them not having to re-set up production lines.

I really was thinking very strongly about ordering a Bluestar because I can see its advantages. And, I had been tempted by a floor model Bluestar on e-bay that said full warranty. Then, I went to the Bluestar website to read about their waranties. Here is what their site says:

"Floor models are not covered under the One(1) Year Limited Warranty but are covered by a Ninety (90) Day Labor and a one (1) Year Limited Parts Warranty with proof of date of install and a completed Installation Checklist. Demonstration units are not covered under the one (1) Year Limited Warranty. Please refer to your installation checklist to activate your limited warranty. Failure to send a complete and accurate copy of the installation checklist within 15 days of installation will invalidate your limited warranty."

So, with all of the horror stories I have read about problems with the Bluestar, for me that ended the idea of purchasing a Bluestar floor model; I wasn't willing to take the risk. If I were to do it, it would have been a brand new, straight from the factory piece.

We bought the Wolf today for $1,200 less than we could have bought a new Bluestar, and I guess we will see if we are happy or sorry. Our decision was not based on price alone, although that certainly was a factor. It finally came down to a comfort level with the manufacturer. I believe the Bluestar does have a better rangetop cooking ability, and I think it is probably easier to clean. BUT, there are still many more complaints on the web (not just here on this forum and not just from people who are clearly posting all over the place with only their vendettas) about Bluestar than I could find about the Wolf. And, when you consider the number of Wolfs that are sold yearly against the number of Bluestars sold annualy, it does make you think again. I loved the color options for Bluestar, and I've given that up.

Whether we'll be sorry or happy with the decision we made remains to be seen. But, my husband did just start to disassemble our twenty year old Jenn-Air, which incidentally is built like a tank and has never had a service call, and he discovered that it has 35K BTU power between all of the rangetop burners. So, I suspect the 60K total on the Wolf will probably serve me just fine.

Good luck with your decision. Nothing is perfect; that is the one thing we discovered in this odyssey to buy a range.

One more thing: check out the blogs on beyondsalmon.com to read some more about Bluestar issues.

I would look at how you cook. What would be best for one person is not best for another. There are significant differences that are just a matter of preference.

Think about what is easier for you to keep clean.

Would you prefer the burners 5 the same and one smaller one or 3 different sizes.

Would you use the high BTUs or prefer to have a low simmer on all the burners. I think it is interesting that Grace Young, the stir-fry guru who wrote Stir-Frying to the Sky�s Edge among others and was the test kitchen director at Time Life , used a 14K BTU burner when testing recipes for her book and says you can stir fry on 9-12K. I just put that in for reference. Some still want the higher heat though and think you are unable to cook without it.

Agree with above poster. Consider availability of service. I would actually look into the company providing it a little. Any range can have issues and service can be very important.

The BS has a really big oven but some complain the door is hot.

You might look at and compare the size of the broiler.

Compare the fit and finish. Try to see how the lights are placed and how the racks are. I had one oven that placed the lights on the side and low and they were worthless.

You might prefer the star shaped burner if you cook with cast iron or steel pans. If you use pans that conduct heat pretty well, using adequate amounts of copper or aluminum, it won't matter.

It would be interesting to know which range is the most energy efficient but there are no statistics on that.

There are happy owners of both but really you have to see which one suits you.

Need info, where are you?
Another wolf dealer told me that the could not deliver outside of his locale when I asked if he even had the wolf in stock.

My cooking style is : try it, try it all broil, bake roast, boil, simmer.
My dislike: the bertazoni ? in this rental that my SO has.
The oven is too small. broiler crap. It is a pain to clean the top. The varied burner sizes make me crazy. It is 30" so I struggle for roomwith the water bath or 25 g pressure cooker or even a short 8qt w/ preserving pan etc

With that in mind... Buy for quality ... Thoughts?? I rather have one good thing than 1ooo crappy things

I am in Minneapolis, so a large metro area just like yours. The largest local chain here has marked down their floor model AG Wolf ranges. I've been to (or called) all of their branches, and that is how I saw the floor models. But, they are still quoting full freight for ordering a brand new, from the factory Wolf. This dealer is where we bought the range at 20% off. Another small, local dealer had a Wolf on the floor and I asked him if he'd discount it since the model is now being discontinued. He gave me the 15% off quote. It doesn't hurt to ask a dealer. I guess I am surprised that in a large metropolitan area like yours you can't find one of these to see in person.

And, I saw this on cheftalk which reassured me about me decision to go with the Wolf.

"I have decades of experience as a professional chef, restaurant owner, caterer, and baker, and cook at home extensively. I have cooked on every conceivable commercial device, from french flat tops to camp burners. At home, I have owned Thermador, Viking, Capital, and Wolf. Based on all this, I can say that Capital was the absolute worst range I ever cooked on, for a host of reasons, and I would caution anyone against buying a Capital, even though it seems to have a lot of neat features. I presently have a basic all-gas Wolf, 48", with four burners, flat griddle, and BBQ grill, and I really love it. In fact, the grill on it compares favorably with many commercial grills I have used, and is better than many.
I like all-gas because of the faster response, and also because in case of a power outage the ovens will still work drawing only a modest current from our generator. The Wolf does not have as many BTUs as some ranges, but that can be an illusory distinction. For everyday cooking serving 2 - 10 people, it has plenty of output. We use mainly heavy tin-lined copper, and do not lack for heat."

needinfo1, what's not clear in that review you excerpted is which Capital the reviewer was talking about. I highly doubt it was the Culinarian. Why? From that same review referring to the grates, "...they had little rubber feet that fell out." The Culinarian grates do not have rubber feet. So maybe it was the Precision? But I don't recall ever seeing rubber feet under those grates either. I believe the American Range is one range that does have rubber feet under its grates.

Just a little perspective, it's one negative review among a thread of favorable reviews. To compound things, it was made by someone who signed up only to make that one post only to disappear into the sunset and never post in that forum again. Just food for thought.

No, actually I was referring to the person saying s/he was satisfied with a basic Wolf and the reference to the BTU race not being what it is sometimes meant to be. I did not delete the sentence about the Capital even though perhaps I should have since it is not relevant to this discussion.

I don't know what to tell you about BS reliability. I spoke to two people (personal connections, personal communication, rather than internet strangers) before buying our 36" BS. Each had owned the range for about 4 years at the time. One had zero problems, and one had a small problem, easily remedied, right after he got it. Both were big fans of the range. We've had our range less than 2 years (spring 2011) and can report zero problems, but that's not the long haul. A friend who liked my range bought the BS cooktop when doing a kitchen remodel and he's had no problems (but has had the cooktop less time than I've had my range). So . . . 4 arbitrary (but not randomly selected "data" points) -- really, just ad hoc reports, so take them with a grain of salt -- but a good impression here.

For me the range has been great. A nice low end on the simmer burner, very wide range versatile middle-range burners (3 of them) -- really, good for nearly anything -- and great high heat and response on the high burners. Great for a quick sear; and excellent if you do pasta and want not only quicker time to a boil but, more important, a fast return to a boil once you've put the pasta in so that you're not poaching it. Nice large oven, very stable once pre-heated. Excellent broiler, although not that large.

The hot door seems to me a non-issue, at least on my version of the range. I don't notice heat flooding through the door when standing at the range cooking, the oven door handle remains cool, and accidentally touching the range (however one does that -- I've tried to do it on purpose just to check) seems harmless: warm in places, very warm in others, maybe hot in a few places, such that you'd surprise yourself and pull your hand back, but not the sort of hot that risks an accidental burn -- not even a minor one. YMMV, but I've placed my hand flat on the door.

Although I prefer the BS burners, I've nothing to say against the Wolf -- seem to be very nicely made ranges and I know some very good cooks who've been happy with theirs. I'd choose another BS RNB if I had it to do all over again, without hesitation, but different people have different priorities and preferences.

Dig1, the person at the demo said the oven door issue was fixed.
We were not there for the full demo, the last 2 seconds due to traffic.
Anyhow, he did stay later and showed us how to take the grates of and replace the igniter. Have you had any issues with the wire frizzing out fromheat? he said to tie them up off the drip pan but wouldn't it be just as hot above?

How does the igniter look on wolf and other? Have any of you personally replaced them?

The reason you have to tie the igniter wires up to the frame is so that they're not sitting on the very hot drip tray. I remember learning this the hard way. When a wire connector lays on the hot metal, for whatever reason, the igniter continues to click. Tie it up off the metal and it stops.

Thanks for all these postings. I've been reading up on several BS units, and i'm leaning toward just the rangetop (although i do like that french door oven trickery).

My question is: Which wolfs are currently being discontinued in the 36" size? I'd prefer just the rangetop, but would take a whole range if it could be had a good price. Above I saw the R304, which is of course 30", and someone else mentioned the R366 which wasn't getting discounted in their area. So do I even have a model to ask for if I call around?

Adam, wolf is only discontinuing the unsealed or their version of an unsealed burner range which in my case was the r366. My best guess would be to find a dealer near you and see what they have and also to check the wolf website. I called around and no one had the r366 on the floor for me to see. One did say they had a 30 and 48 to look at. At this point, I am leaning towards the BS. i went to look at it again on Sunday.

Thanks endives. I had been to one nearby dealer who said they didn't have any wolfs being discontinued right now to sell. So i'll call around.

Overall I like the BS and CC for their open burners, my challenge is trying to get one I want in the $3000 range, so I've heard others recommend the BS RCS series. Going back to the BS dealer with my wife soon to demo and talk it over.

Right now my feeling is fit & finish sounds better on the wolf, but burner performance is better with BS or CC. All have their merits but i'm leaning toward BS if it's the least expensive of the 3 with the combo of burners I want.

Adam, take a look at the American Range Performer also. I had the opportunity to see one side-by-side with the BS. I was impressed with its build quality given its price point being below the BS RNB. Overall, I would say it was built better than the BS. The oven racks and rails were a thicker gauge, albeit none of them were full extension rolling. But you only get one in the BS RNB anyways, so it not a major difference. It has some of the design features of the CC like the removable upper drip pan making cleaning a snap and lower heat shield above the door to keep the knobs cool.

The only thing about the AR that I didn't like and enough to make me not want to buy one were the large double grates. They were heavy and cumbersome especially when it comes to cleaning. In this area, I think the BS has the best designed grates for functionality, even better than the CC, which I have. The CC does have single grates so cleaning is easy.

If you can see an AR in person and the grates don't bother you, I think it would be a great value. You might have to stretch your budget a little though.

not to hijack the BS Or Wolf thread, but thanks for the AR suggestion jscout. Those do look nice, but the performer series is sealed burner? I'm not against sealed burner as long as the heat is evenly distributed across different pot/pan sizes without losing too much heat; I am becoming fully enamored with open burners (I've only been reading about these for a couple weeks now, addition to happen in spring/summer)

EDIT: I did too much poking around on the AR site and got confused :P I see the Performer is open burner; cuisine series is not.

We just bought the soon-to-be discontinued Wolf--being installed today.

We were ready to buy the Performer because we decided it was the best quality and the best value in open burner ranges until we were doing the last minute pre-order check and discovered its full depth is 1/2" too deep for our congfiguration. With the Performer we wouldn't be able to open a drawer in the adjacent cabinet (we have a L configuration).

So, that sent us back to the Wolf vs. BS dilemma. I do think the AR is your best choice assuming you do not run into any of the size issues like we did.

Would you use the high BTUs or prefer to have a low simmer on all the burners. I think it is interesting that Grace Young, the stir-fry guru who wrote Stir-Frying to the Sky�s Edge among others and was the test kitchen director at Time Life , used a 14K BTU burner when testing recipes for her book and says you can stir fry on 9-12K. I just put that in for reference. Some still want the higher heat though and think you are unable to cook without it.

With all due respect to Grace Yang and all that she's done to promote Chinese cooking, her efforts have been largely geared towards demystifying Chinese cooking to an American audience. She's done a great job of it. But she is no more of a guru than any professional Chinese chef or any Chinese homecook for that matter. Her whole concept that you don't need a high power stove is because most people don't have it. If she had marketed otherwise, she'd turnoff the majority of America. The reality is that one of the biggest complaints of Chinese homecooks is that they don't have enough "wok hei" or "the breath of the wok" because they don't have enough BTUs at home. And while most non-Chinese will find it adequate as a stir fry because it's more than a simple saute and better than what they've had in the past, the Chinese food cognoscenti would only say, "Eh."

Adam, hijack away. It can't hurt my similar dilemna on how best to spend thousands of dollars.

I saw an american range at the same place sells the BS and it felt,solid but I keep going back to the unsealed burners. I too feel the wolf seems to be more refined in it's built...less sharp edges, the door seems heavier, etc but at the same time, it is more expensive and if they won't order one for me, I am out of luck anyhow.

I may try and look for the cc, But I don't know if I want more info and indecision crammed into my brain. Still need to read up on hoods...and download install manuals to make sure future oven has appropriate hookup. Advice gladly received

I know lots of Chinese on this continent, and only rich ones who care have flame throwing wok burners at home. The rest have the same type of home ranges/cooktops the rest of us use. I wouldn't dream of suggesting that the food they prepare is not authentic Chinese. The truth is, they don't expect to replicate the restaurant experience at home. They dine out for that. But you definitely can cook Chinese food in a wok at home with any type of heat source.

I'm sure you do, cooksnsews. But NOBODY questioned the authenticity of anybody's cooking. It's more of a desired flavor profile that does require heat and whether or not someone wants that. While no Chinese cook needs it, most do want it. The reality is nobody needs anything more than a simple heat source to cook. I cooked on 9,000 BTU butane stove for almost four months while the kitchen was being done and my family didn't starve. We had great meals in fact. But there were certain types of food we didn't prepare due to the limited cooking resources. The fact is, this thread is about ranges in the upscale appliance category. And in this category, high heat cooking and restaurant-like results is a consideration. When you pay this much for a range, there should be some things it can do that cheaper ranges can't do. Prospective buyers need to know that so they can decide if it's a worth it and if there's a trade off. Frankly, if budget were a serious issue and I wanted something like a Wolf, I'd be looking at an NXR. And if the NXR were still too expensive, then I have no business reading this thread, because its topic is unrealistic for me.

Posted by jscout
With all due respect to Grace Yang and all that she's done to promote Chinese cooking, her efforts have been largely geared towards demystifying Chinese cooking to an American audience. She's done a great job of it. But she is no more of a guru than any professional Chinese chef or any Chinese homecook for that matter.

This is the definition of a guru. Guru means teacher, leader or guide along with having knowledge. I think a James Beard award for one cookbook and a JB nomination for another, multiple IACP awards, the Jane Grigson Award for Distinguished Scholarship, having her books selected as one of the best cookbooks of the year by Food & Wine, Fine Cooking, Bon Appetit, and Epicurious sets Grace Young apart from "any professional Chinese chef or any Chinese homecook". In addition to contributing to 40 Time Life books and being a contributing editor to Saveur, she is highly regarded on general and Asian cooking forums. On top of all this she has come on different forums to answer questions and seems to be accessible. I'm kinda thinking that makes her a guru.

She is the first to differentiate home cooking from restaurant cooking. Her idea is to teach the home cook how to make the best use of a burner that at 12-30K is fraction of what a restaurant burner(125-250K) would be. She is not pretending that she is producing restaurant meals and in fact celebrates Chinese home cooking. "Restaurant meals", good ones, require a good chef who has had a lot of training to know what to do with a powerful burner and just bumping up the BTUs a few thousand and reading a few recipes won't do it. We actually had a lady open a restaurant where I live that is all Chinese home cooking. She was so successful, she has had to expand already.

And while most non-Chinese will find it adequate as a stir fry because it's more than a simple saute and better than what they've had in the past, the Chinese food cognoscenti would only say, "Eh."

The accolades she has received say otherwise. The cognoscenti are able to differentiate and appreciate all aspects of a particular cultures cuisine. They know and value for example the difference between what is found at home or on the street or prepared in a restaurant by a highly trained chef.

Posted by jscout
It's more of a desired flavor profile that does require heat and whether or not someone wants that...
The fact is, this thread is about ranges in the upscale appliance category. And in this category, high heat cooking and restaurant-like results is a consideration. When you pay this much for a range, there should be some things it can do that cheaper ranges can't do.

Hopefully there are things that have utility but no home range can produce 125-250K restaurant results. Not enough heat or education by the user most of the time. Oddly those big burners are pretty cheap by themselves if you want to keep it outside and make "restaurant meals". I have read some accounts of people doing that but the limiting factor in using all that heat is lack of knowledge and skill. It is difficult to match even with the right equipment what has taken a good chef years to master.

@ deeageaux - I can open that link to the cream Bluestar on Ebay no problem, but, no matter what I put in the Ebay search engine, it doesn't show up if I "look" for it from scratch - how'd you do that???

I have a permanent watch on Ebay for Bluestar ranges, in vain hope that one will show up near me at some point...

We too had looked into the possibility of finding a floor model BS on ebay. And, we found some there that said they had the manufacturer's warranty. Then, we actually read the manufacturer's warranty. On floor models the warranty is only 90 days vs. the one year on a range that is right out of the box. That turned us off of the idea of going this route. Just thought I'd tell you this in case you didn't know it.

Really? Good to know, as my dealer had indicated that one could order one's chosen Bluestar, it could sit on their showroom floor for a certain length of time, and then one got to bring it home (virtually) new, with a substantial discount, full warranty.

I'll be looking into THAT small print for sure, before I put down any $$$!

We've only had the Wolf installed for a couple days, and for a variety of reasons haven't really had a chance to cook with it much. Now that things in our lives have settled down a bit and I have more time than to just microwave the leftover Chinese takeout we had bought while we were between ranges for a few days, I'll be really trying it out this weekend.

I will say though that the fire power compared to what I had in the past (a 20 year old what was top-of-the-line then Jenn-Air dual fuel)is really something! I noticed this the first time we turned it on. So, if you are thinking it is the lure of the additional BTUs in the BS, I really don't know whether the average person who does not do a lot of wok cooking needs all of those BTUs. We made pasta, and we noticed right away that we could easily use a larger pot with more water in it than we often used with our Jenn-Air becasue we hadn't wanted to wait so long for it to heat up.

I am thinking I like the fact that all of the burners are the same BTUs so that I don't need to think about which burner to use. I had one burner on quite low, and it did seem fine. When we did the burn off, the oven door was definitely warm in places, and the knobs were warm. Whether this will be true when one isn't doing the couple hour burnoff at 500 degrees remains to be seen. I just haven't had a chance to actually use the oven yet.

This range is heavy and solid and attractive. And, I can't believe I am saying this, but I am starting to think that I may be happier with the stainless Wolf than the colored BS I so had my heart set on. I really, really wanted one of those colored ranges, but now that the Wolf is installed and I can see how it looks, I think stainless may have been a better decision for us looks-wise.

That's all now. I'll know more after I've had time to actually work with it. Right now, I am thinking we definitely made a good decision for us. And, the fact that we saved money too adds to my satisfaction. As I said, this was not a decision based just on price.

One more thing that I think will apply to anyone replacing a more standard gas range (no matter which of the brands being discussed is purchased), there was definitely more to the installation than just unhooking the old one and connecting the new.

i'm interested to hear how much more complicated a replacement gas stove will be. Is it that you have to cap off your old gas stove supply and re-run one to the right spot for the new stove? I'm just curious, as we're adding a kitchen and if I have to be concerned about how the line is run i'd like to hear it from you all.

Needinfo, thanks for the informative followup. Funny you mentioned the gas hookup and electric outlet etc. I am reading up on it for any future stove whether it be the BS or wolf. I am only going stainless. The color of,the cabinets, counters, and walls is enough of a headache.

My handy husband actually had to spend a couple days getting ready for this.

Our gas pipe was 1/2"; this needed to be changed to a 3/4".

We had dual fuel before so had 220, and this had to be split off. The outlet had to be moved. Then, after the range was delivered, he discovered that there is a bar several inches wide across the bottom of the range and up a couple inches from the floor. He had to move the new outlet he'd installed.

Our counters (to be replaced anyway as a part of this project) were a teensy bit too small to slide this in, so we had a tile nippers out trying to cut the counters down just a teeny bit.

This is a heavy beast of a machine, and it was very difficult to move around at all. My husband had to climb over the countertop several times to get behind it (it is installed between two counters) to make sure the gas hose/pipe was fitting in behind the stove in the niche where it goes. Then, he had to climb out from this small space and over the counter again before we could push it in.

But, here is the biggest warning/error that I hope happens to no one else. We are still having a "discussion" about remedying this. In preparation before the range was delivered, my husband had been online reading about installation requirements. I was busy with work and life and wasn't paying any attention at all to what he was doing. He mentioned something about the range having to be installed on non-combustible material. Our floor under the range needed repair anyway since we were replacing a downdraft that had a cut out into the floor. So he got plywood to install and covered that with some floor tile we had left from an old project. I never thought anything of it. Then, after everything else was finally completed and we were able to hook up the range, we pushed it all the way in. The horrible gray tile is visible under the range--a terrible contrast to our hardwood kitchen floors.

I freaked. He said he had read this was necessary. I doubted this. Then, I had a brainstorm. He had been reading instructions online for installing a commercial Wolf range in a residence. He got so wrapped up in reading the instructions that he hadn't stopped to realize that we do not have a commercial range. The horrible gray tile is still under it because he says this range was such a PIA to install (and he glued the tiles down to the plywood) that he does not want to move the range out again. I am waiting for a bit to bring this up again. I don't think it is politic right now since he worked so long to get everything set up for the install, and he did it while he was also sick. So, a word to the wise........But, that gray tile is going somehow!

Needinfo, oh no. Now I feel ok about badgering my BF to badger the contractor who is, IMHO, too relaxed and tells us no worries.
I amy need to badger more and bring diagrams. I already mentioned that the outlet is too high unless the range is to the side of it. I am concerned about a gas line coming out the floor vs. the wall which is BS preference.
Where is yours?

I do wonder if we should get the range of choice in first, then get cabinets.
Wash dishes in the dishwasher, water from the bathroom,, chop on a a table for 5 weeks?

Finally saw a larger version of the wolf I was interested in.
What I liked... Below the removable burner panel, the igniter is more protected and looks more solid than the BS which you need to tie up off the Drip pan. more difficult to replace? It felt smoother and more solid to me. It was more refined. The warranty is better esp. If done by a wolf installer by a year.
We may still go BS for these reasons... Simmer seems better. Low flame not just an uber small burner. Larger oven. Drip pans that are divided and smaller for easy removal and dish wash. I still question the igniter and how one must secure it with zip ties off the drip tray. Higher BTU for my 25 g water bath and pressure cooker. And I may now try wok frying when before, ot tasted like steamed droopy veggies.

My BF is leaning BS. Ahem. He does not cook. I think he likes the 22 btu

Need info...
How are you liking your wolf these days?
I am still wobbling between wolf and bluestar though I may not have a choice soon. The last of the r366 may be gone by now.
I like that it had both a removeable "burner plate" and the drip tray.

I do wonder about the simmering on the wolf.
Have you simmered on your range?
It has the smaller burner ring for simmering regardless of the pot size? Can you simmer without issue of it being concentrated? HOpe this makes sense

I believe I convered all of your questions in this posting I made a few days ago--I bought the AG, open burner Wolf.. Some of the formatting is a little bit garbled from when the site was having difficulties with some formatting. But, for the most part, it is still readable.

I went with Capital Culinarian, but I can't comment on its functionality or reliability because it's being installed right now. But it is BEAUTIFUL, and powerful. I do have to say I researched extensively before I ordered, and NO significant problems were reported on GW.

But I also believe Bluestar would be a great option as well. I think you will be happy with whatever decision you make, as they are all fantastic ranges. So don't overanalyze or get caught up in (or even confused by) flame wars over whose range is 1% better for this or that feature. :)

Hey all, I'm still comparing range options and still gravitating back to Bluestar, either the RNB range top or RCS 36 in. I was at a BS demo on Thursday and really liked speaking with the rep about the products. By the way he mentioned that BS is coming out with an electric oven sometime this year that will offer timers, programming, etc.

Hey all, I'm still comparing range options and still gravitating back to Bluestar, either the RNB range top or RCS 36 in. I was at a BS demo on Thursday and really liked speaking with the rep about the products. By the way he mentioned that BS is coming out with an electric oven sometime this year that will offer timers, programming, etc.